Current as of: May 4, 2024 - 07:38
Current as of: May 4, 2024 - 07:38
2 out of 7 - Leisurely / Moderate
The Amazon: one of the wildest and most remote corners of Earth. For those drawn to the natural beauty of our planet, a voyage along the mighty Amazon River in Peru offers the ultimate adventure. Come face to face with pink dolphins, playful monkeys, sleepy sloths, giant butterflies and a myriad of other rare creatures in the remote Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. Travel in high style aboard M/V Zafiro, the most luxurious ship on the river, enjoying all the comforts of a five-star hotel. Disembark for guided moonlight safaris, canoe excursions, nature walks and piranha fishing. Amazonian cultural encounters are aplenty in Ribereño villages – receive a blessing from a shaman and learn ancient customs from the local people. Drawing on insight from our native Amazon travel guides, we intentionally vary the villages and tributaries we visit, ensuring you get the most authentic experience possible.
With certified naturalist guides on board, an outdoor jacuzzi, cooking class, pre- and post-cruise hotel in Lima, internal flights and more, this expedition is as once-in-a-lifetime as it gets.
Highlights
This trip is graded Activity Level 2 (Leisurely/Moderate) a Wildlife Rating of Four. Visit our Activity Level Guidelines page for more on our trip gradings or our Wildlife Holidays page for more on our Wildlife Ratings.
Cover more than 600mi (965km) on the Amazon and its tributaries as you travel deep into the protected Pacaya-Samiria Reserve and explore three different habitats, so you have the best chance of spotting rare wildlife.
On this Amazon River cruise, you enjoy unrivalled access to the most pristine areas of the Peruvian rainforest and the company of the most knowledgeable guides around. Your exciting daily excursions include birding at dawn, visits to local villages and even piranha fishing. Join us and discover a rainforest that pulsates with an unrivalled diversity of wildlife. On these Amazon River cruises, we look for monkeys, birds, sloths, pink and grey dolphins and so much more.
Please note, these departures are not exclusive to Exodus and groups may include clients from other tour operators.
Although this tour is not overly strenuous, you should be reasonably fit and capable of moderate exercise while searching for wildlife. On shore, you should be able to walk without assistance at a group pace. There are several walks along rugged trails with occasional inclines and rooted dirt trails. You will occasionally have to climb/descend stairs, often without handrails, and negotiate places where footing is uncertain. Some days on the Amazon voyage will include boat journeys that require sitting for long periods while searching for wildlife.
Booking Conditions:
This tour is excluded from our standard booking conditions; the following conditions apply instead:
Deposit: 25 percent
Balance: Due at 100 days
Nature-focused, small-group expedition travel is at the heart of an expedition cruise into the Amazon. Expert local naturalist guides accompany each Amazon voyage – if the boat has a full complement of 38 travellers, the Zafiro will have three guides, each rotating to lead smaller groups of 14, 12 and 12 passengers. Each day, these knowledgeable guides use their decades of learning and guiding experience to serve as lecturers, field guides and friends as you explore the rainforest.
Guides will join all excursions and activities, providing daily recaps and briefings, and are always available to answer questions. We can’t guarantee which guides will be available on individual departure dates. Please see the ‘experts’ tab on the website to see who is likely to be leading your Amazon adventure.
Please see our COVID Travel Guides for more information on current guidelines for travel in Peru.
Adult min age: 16
Min group size: 1
Max group size: 38
Welcome to Peru! Your adventure starts with very short walk to our hotel conveniently located at the Lima Airport. A meet and assist at the hotel is included for everyone, regardless of which flight you arrive on today
Premium accommodation: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport (four-star) or similar
Our adventure begins with a flight over the Andes to Iquitos, the gateway to the Amazon River. The local team in Lima will assist with flight check-in today.
On arrival in Iquitos, we have a welcome lunch with all guests before boarding the Zafiro – a premium riverboat and our home for the next seven nights. The crew will be waiting to welcome you on board, and help you settle into your cabin and get familiar with the boat. All suites have 100 percent Peruvian prima cotton sheets, comfortable beds, bathrobes, air conditioning, and floor-to-ceiling windows for that all-important view.
After a welcome pisco sour (the national cocktail), enjoy your first stargazing and storytelling with the naturalist guides while cruising slowly on the Amazon River toward the confluence of the Marañón and Ucayali rivers.
Premium accommodation: Zafiro
Spend the next six nights aboard the Zafiro, navigating deep into the tributaries of the Amazon – a web of forests and lakes that pulsates with a chorus of birdlife, the calls of primates, and flashes of colourful butterflies.
More than 1,300 bird species, 40,000 plant species, and grey and pink river dolphins inhabit this lush, ever-changing rainforest known collectively as the Amazon.
Enjoy unprecedented access to three habitats: varzea, igapó and palm-flooded forest, including the deep reaches of the protected Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. There is a huge diversity of possible wildlife sightings here, including blue-and-gold scarlet macaws, hoatzins and horned screamers. Traverse the waterways aboard sturdy excursion boats to areas where you may find marsh birds such as oriole blackbirds, green ibis, yellow-headed caracaras, black-capped donacobius and white-headed marsh tyrants. Night excursions may reveal caimans, capybaras, common potoos, frogs and other nocturnal wildlife. Periodically throughout the year, guests may even release turtle hatchlings.
Daily excursions include early morning birding, enriching presentations, visits in local villages and even piranha fishing. Learn about the lives of the Ribereño people as we visit riverbank villages. This is a fantastic opportunity to stroll through their gardens and learn about medicinal plants from a local shaman.
Pointing out details no guidebook could provide are the onboard team of world-class naturalists, while the attentive crew ensures exceptional service in the wild.
Please note, our navigational itinerary will have some seasonal variations depending on the water levels.
Premium accommodation: Zafiro
This morning, we disembark the Zafiro, waving goodbye to our excellent crew and guides. En route to the airport, we can visit the Amazon Rescue Center, where biologists and volunteers care for manatees before release. Following this excursion, we transfer back to Iquitos for our flight to Lima.
Upon arrival back in Lima this afternoon, it’s just a short walk to our premium airport hotel. Most guests stay overnight and depart on day 10. If you have a tight schedule, you could use the hotel as a dayroom to freshen up before connecting with independent overnight flights (from late evening onwards). Please discuss with your sales representative whether your flight times will work.
Premium accommodation: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport (four-star) or similar
You are free to depart Lima at any time today or consider extending your stay to spend more time discovering Peru.
Enjoy an expedition on the Amazon River, reaching the heart of the rainforest, all from the comfort of a premium riverboat: the Zafiro.
Zafiro
Cabins
The Zafiro has a capacity for 38 guests in 19 spacious suites of four different price categories. All cabins are air conditioned with en suite bathrooms and ample space.
At the start and end of this Premium Adventure we have comfortable premium accommodation at the Wyndham Costa del Sol, which is conveniently located within walking distance of the arrivals hall at Lima Airport. This modern, comfortable hotel is ideal for an easy arrival/departure and meets four-star classification.
The accommodation shown has been booked and agreed in advance; however, we may need to make changes to a property of similar or higher standard after you have booked. We endeavour to inform you of any changes in advance, which could, on rare occasions, be at late notice.
All breakfasts, seven lunches and seven dinners are included.
Savour regional specialties and contemporary cuisine infused with flavours from the surrounding rainforest. The atmosphere is casual yet elegant as you sample Amazon fusion cuisine while enjoying spectacular views through panoramic windows. All meals are served buffet style – tea, coffee, water, natural juices, Peruvian cocktails, soft drinks, house wines and local beer are complimentary during meals.
While on the Zafiro, please bring a reusable water bottle to use at refill stations.
We travel on the premium riverboat, Zafiro. Expeditions on smaller waterways are done on sturdy excursion boats.
The Iquitos area, near where you will be exploring during your cruise, is a few degrees south of the equator and characterised by strong sun and rainforest. Average daytime temperatures range from 21C-27C (70F-81F) year-round. It can be cool on the river at night or on overcast days. There is very little seasonal variation between winter and summer temperatures. The average humidity ranges from 60 percent to 80 percent, and rainfall occurs approximately 250 days a year. Most showers occur in the late afternoon or evening but are short.
Start hotel: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport Hotel
Phone: +51 1 7112000
Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today.
Airport: Lima Airport (LIM)
Our local representative will be waiting for you inside the airport at the International Arrivals hall to meet and lead you to the hotel. The hotel is conveniently located directly opposite the airport. Speak to your sales representative to arrange or for more information.
Guests will return to the international terminal via a 1-minute walk from the Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport Hotel.
Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.
Location start: Lima
Location end: Lima
The Amazon Basin ranges in temperature from warm to hot and humid. Casual attire is the norm on board our riverboat, where dress is never formal, even at dinner. We recommend lightweight cottons or breathable fabric that dries quickly. Shorts and T-shirts are appropriate for most activities, although you should also bring lightweight long pants and long-sleeved shirts for protection against sun and insects for off-boat excursions. Also pack a light sweater or jacket for breezy weather, cooler evenings and for the air conditioning on board.
Rainwear is essential; however, most rainwear is too hot for comfortable use in tropical climates. A lightweight, hooded waterproof jacket is appropriate. A long poncho that provides good coverage is even better as some downpours can be heavy. A poncho will cover you and your backpack or camera equipment while traveling in the smaller excursion boats. Rain gear needs to be with you on all activities as showers are likely to occur while you are away from the riverboat. A limited supply of ponchos is available on the riverboat.
Proper footwear is also essential. If there has been recent rain, forest trails can be muddy and slippery. Lightweight hiking boots or shoes with soles that provide traction are suitable. Bear in mind they may get very wet and muddy, so you may wish to bring two pairs. Rubber boots in various sizes are available on board for your use. A collapsible walking stick can be handy on trails; however, wooden walking sticks are available on the riverboat if you would like to use one.
Water included
Plastic bottles are a big issue in many countries where recycling isn’t yet widely available; they often end up in landfill or get burned. Both processes are harmful to the environment and we would like to reduce our impact here. For your trip, we provide an alternative to single-use plastic bottles to reduce the plastic used. This means that safe drinking water will be available throughout; all you need to do is bring a bottle to refill along the way. Please add this to your packing list.
Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return.
Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Peru. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.
If you are travelling via the USA and are eligible to transit under the Visa Waiver Program, you are required to register in advance for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). There is a US$21 charge, which is only payable online. Please see our website www.exodus.co.uk/usvisa for further information.
Please note, not all nationalities have the same eligibility for travel to or transit via the USA, and you may not be covered by the visa waiver program. Regulations stipulate that any person who has travelled to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since March 2011, or have dual nationalities of these countries, may no longer qualify. In addition, if you have travelled to Cuba since 12 January 2021 you will not be eligible for the visa waiver program and should instead apply for a visa.
If you are in doubt of your eligibility, please check the visa requirements with your local US embassy.
There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, typhoid, tuberculosis and yellow fever. Additionally, Zika fever, a mosquito‐borne viral disease, is a known risk in Peru. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so you should take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Please check all vaccination recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.
Amazon: If you are travelling to the Tambopata reserve in the Amazon rainforest, the risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice. We also strongly recommend that you obtain a yellow fever vaccination. Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in the Amazon region. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Peru's time zone: America/Lima (UTC -05:00)
Peru's electricity: Plug types A (two flat pins), B (three pins: two flat, one round) and C (two round pins)– 220V, 60Hz. There are no charging facilities available on the Inca Trail, our other camping treks or Amantani Island, so we recommend you take spare batteries or a solar charger with you. If staying in an Amazon lodge, there is no mains electricity; a generator will provide power for a few hours a day only in the main lodge/dining area, while lanterns, torches or candles will be provided in the bedrooms. Additionally, if you stay at the Inkaterra Hacienda Conception Amazon Lodge, there is limited electricity in the cabanas; however, all cabanas have reading lights and a ceiling ventilator.
Peru's currency: Peruvian nuevo sol (PEN)
ATMs are available at Lima airport. Please notify your credit card company prior to departure that you will be traveling within Peru and check any international limits or special instructions. If you plan to pay in cash, all US bills must be in excellent condition, clean with no tears or writing, and dated post 2000. Damaged bills of any sort will be rejected. Bring cash in denominations of USD$20 or less.
Purchases in local villages should be made in Peruvian currency. You should exchange money at Lima airport prior to departing for Iquitos. We suggest changing approximately US$100 per person into Peruvian currency for souvenir shopping at the villages on the river. Change will always be given in local currency. If you have local currency left at the end of your journey, you can exchange it back at Lima airport.
The Zafiro accepts Visa and Mastercard. We suggest you carry more than one type of card if possible. Purchases at the bar or boutique can be made with US dollars, soles, Visa or Mastercard. There are no ATMs on the riverboat.
Tipping is customary and forms part of the service culture here.
On this Premium Adventure, we include all tips to the Zafiro crew during your stay, a cost of approximately US$30 per person per day (US$240 in total). As such, tipping the crew is taken care of for you and will be distributed evenly among all staff onboard.
Your naturalist guide is not included in the amount for the crew, as we prefer to allow you to tip guides directly where good service has been received. You should budget tips for the naturalist guide around US$7-US$10 per person per night.
We work hard to create trips which improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.
Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:
People
How this trip helps improve life for local communities.
Places
How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.
Planet
How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.
Tips for sustainable travel on this trip
Water safety
This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.
Your safe participation
When booking this trip, you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability, please call the Exodus office and ask to speak to one of the experts on this itinerary.
Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely take part in an activity, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to miss that activity.
By booking this trip you agree to our Booking Conditions which clearly state that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these rare instances we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred.
When you’re ready to book, go to our website for online bookings, book over the phone or you can complete a booking form (available online or on request by calling us). We accept all major credit and debit cards, or you can pay be cheque.
After booking
You will receive your booking confirmation letter and invoice, which includes extra information and guidance about your travel arrangements.
Full joining instructions, including local emergency numbers and details of how to reach the start point, will be sent to you approximately two to three weeks prior to departure. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier, please contact our office or your travel agent.
Trip Note validity
These Trip Notes are valid from the “Current as” date on page one. They will occasionally be updated after booking and before departure; if there are any updates that significantly impact the inclusions or itinerary, customers will be written to separately. They will also receive a link to the most up-to-date Trip Notes with their Final Joining Instructions before travelling.
The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. Where differences exist between the Trip Notes and our current brochure or website, the Trip Notes supersede the brochure and website. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes; to enjoy them you should be prepared to be flexible where necessary. Occasionally, it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned. This may be for a variety of reasons – climatic, political, physical or other. In these circumstances we will make the best-possible alternative arrangements that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.
Licensing
Exodus is fully licensed and bonded as a tour operator. We hold Air Traffic Organisers Licence (ATOL) number 2582, issued and bonded with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). We are also bonded to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and we are members of the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) and ABTA – The Travel Association. This means you can book your Exodus holiday with confidence, as all money paid to us for your trip is fully protected.